The present invention relates to an electrical connector having terminals made of a sheet metal. Specifically, the present invention relates to an electrical connector having terminals, in which each of the terminals has a contact section formed as a flat sheet surface and a contact section contacting with a mating terminal while the contact section slides against the mating terminal.
A convention electrical connector has been disclosed in Patent Reference. The convention electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference has a fitting section that enters and fits into a mating fitting hole of a mating connector, and a lid to cover the mating connector after the fitting section fits into the mating fitting hole of the mating connector.
Patent Reference: Japanese Patent Publication No. 05-217641
In the convention electrical connector, the housing has a cross-section having a T-character shape formed with the fitting section and the lid in the fitting direction. Each of the terminals that form a flat surface is attached to a corresponding groove formed in the housing, and protrudes from a side surface of the fitting section to form a contact section. The side surface and a portion protruding from an upper surface of the lid form a connecting section. Accordingly, each of the terminals has the contact section and the connecting section at a front side and a rear side in the fitting direction, respectively. The housing that holds the terminals have a dimension to cover both the contact sections and the connecting sections in the fitting direction.
In the convention electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, a rear edge portion of the connecting section of each of the terminals may be attached to a circuit board when the convention electrical connector is used. It has been desirable for the convention electrical connector to have a small dimension in a direction that is perpendicular to a surface of the circuit board, i.e., in the fitting direction.
According to the convention electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, the housing has a dimension over both the contact section provided at the front side in the connector fitting direction and the connecting section provided at the rear side in the connector fitting direction. Therefore, each of the terminals has a dimension overlapping with that of the housing holding the terminals in the fitting direction, thereby increasing a size of the terminals and a size of the housing.
In addition, the terminals are pressed and fit into the corresponding grooves of the housing. Accordingly, it is necessary to increase a contact area between the housing and terminals to securely hold the terminals in the housing, thereby making it difficult to reduce the size of the terminals and the size of the housing. Moreover, in order to press in and hold the terminals, it is necessary to increase a wall thickness of the housing between the terminals to securely hold the terminals when the terminals are arranged.
Accordingly, in the convention electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, it is necessary to increase the size of terminals and the size of the housing both in the fitting direction and the direction that the terminals are arranged.
In view of the above problems, an object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector capable of solving the problems of the conventional electrical connector. In the present invention, it is possible to reduce a size of the electrical connector both in a fitting direction thereof and a direction that terminals of the electrical connector are arranged in a housing thereof, while the housing holds the terminals with a sufficient force.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.